NS Reopens Cleveland Line Following Derailment

Norfolk Southern reopened its Cleveland Line in Portage County on Wednesday just over a day after it was closed by a Tuesday night derailment.

Amtrak’s Capitol Limited resumed operating on Thursday morning between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Officials said there were no injuries in the derailment and no hazardous materials were involved.

Most of the derailed cars were auto racks, some of them carrying new Jeeps. Some cars carrying rock salt spilled their contents.

An NS spokesman said the train had four locomotives and 237 cars. It had originated at Conway Yard near Pittsburgh and was en route to Bellevue when the derailment occurred around 7 p.m. near Lake Street in Ravenna.

The NS spokesman said 22 cars derailed. No cause of the derailment has been given by railroad officials.

The derailment closed South Prospect Street (Ohio Route 44) for several hours and disrupted school bus service in the Ravenna school district.

Laura Hebert, superintendent of Ravenna City Schools, said a school bus serving the neighborhood was unable to pick up children for school.

Route 44 was reported to have been closed between Sandy Lake Road and Summit Road.

Amtrak’s westbound Capitol Limited that had departed Washington for Chicago on Tuesday afternoon turned back at Pittsburgh to become Train 30. The eastbound Capitol Limited departure of Tuesday evening was cancelled.

Nos. 29 and 30 were operating the length of their routes on Thursday. No. 30 was reported to have departed Alliance at 3:44 a.m., 39 minutes late.

The derailment was reported to the Ravenna Township Fire Department at 7:12 p.m. on Tuesday.

News reports quoted a resident of the Timber Run housing development as saying,”It sounded like a plane was about to crash into our houses.”

One resident who joined the crowd watching the cleanup said his boat had been destroyed in the derailment, but he was excited about the prospect of receiving a check from NS for it.

Tags: Amtrak's Capitol Limited, Norfolk Southern, NS Cleveland Line, NS derailment, Ravenna Ohio